This is a much shortened account of a dramatic event off the coast of Kent which featured ingenuity, collaboration,bravery and tragedy. It also proves that voyeurism is by no means a modern phenomenon.
On November 11th 1891 a fearful storm hit the south east coast of Kent, caught by the ferocious seas the full rigged ship Benvenue in command of Captain Moddrel with a compliment of 32, encountering mountainous seas eventually arrived off Sandgate Kent at 5am on that dark morn. Meanwhile a French schooner the Eider was smashed to bits under the sea wall between Hythe & Seabrook. Coast Guard Hennessey ,coxswain of the Seabrook life boat succeeded in rescuing two sea men by lifebuoy & rope but the French captain with his wife & child drowned.
The Benvenue now close inshore began firing distress rockets, with the heavy seas now flooding her bow she foundered 450 yards off shore, 27 seamen made it aloft into the mizen top but captain Moddrel was drowned in his cabin, two seamen and two apprentices, named Bruce & Ironmonger were washed overboard , one clung to an upturned table, Bruce almost made it to the shore near the Royal Kent Hotel, but the mountainous sea claimed them all. Wreckage from the ship started to be washed ashore, casks of rum,linseed oil,vinegar,candles, clothes & even rolls of linoleum littered the beach. With typical British accord 200 armed soldiers were brought from nearby Shorncliffe camp to guard the property.
By now Hennessey with a volunteer crew had brought the life boat from Seabrook to Sandgate coast guard station slipway and attempted to launch but without success. The life boat was then taken to Hythe & launched but soon capsized and one young coast guard, Charles Fagg was drowned when his cork life vest was washed from him. Further attempts at rescue were halted until night fall due to 80 mph winds.
at 11am the body of the French captains wife drowned at Seabrook appeared in the breakers stripped of her clothing. She was taken from the surf by coastguards who reverently covered her body for removal to the Bevan hospital. All this time the crew of the Benvenue were still huddled in the rigging of the stricken vessel. During the day 17 rockets were fired in attempts to get a line to the ship but without success, at one point Alderman Daniel Baker, a strong swimmer insisted on being allowed to brave the surf with a line attached & it was only the refusal of captain Smythies R.N which prevented him losing his life in a hopeless task.
A further attempt to get a line across was made by the army, a long iron rod hastily welded to a cannon shot with a short length of wire attached to a line was fired from a 15 pounder gun but the line broke.
By mid afternoon the population of neighbouring towns had gathered on the sea front, some residents even wired friends in London with many travelling by train, arriving in the afternoon. Helpers collected broken wreckage at battery point & set it alight to cheer the exhausted crew. About 8 pm the storm abated and the life boat launched, she was quickly along side & the 27 crew taken aboard and eventually landed at Folkstone, exhausted after 15 hours in the rigging, being exposed to one of the worst storms of the 19th century.
Foot note:
Captain Moddrel was laid to rest in St Martins Churchyard Cheriton where his gravestone can be seen.
Charles Fagg the brave coastguard who lost his life had been married just a few months, his wife received £150 by local subscription.
Charles W. Fagg Born September 6th 1864 who was drowned by the capsizing of the lifeboat at Hythe In the endeavour to rescue the Crew of the Benvenue wrecked At Sandgate, Kent on November 11th 1891. His body was washed on Shore at the Warren between Folkestone and Dover on Decr 2nd and interred at Smeeth hurch Yard on December 5th 1891.
Photo by Chris Roche
The figure head of the Benvenue currently resides in the bar of Bognor Regis Yatch club in West Sussex.
Photo by Ian Fagg
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